Heterozygosity-fitness correlations within inbreeding classes: local or genome-wide effects?

Hansson, Bengt; Westerberg, Lars

doi:10.1007/s10592-007-9309-z

Cited by 44 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 66 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The results of our molecular metrics analyses were derived from a panel of 19 microsatellite loci, which is larger than those used in many other studies of endangered or wild species (e.g., Coulson et al 1999). Nevertheless, our findings were consistent with recent studies suggesting that the correlation between marker-based heterozygosity and inbreeding levels may often be too weak to be of biological significance (Coltman and Slate 2003;Hansson and Westerberg 2008). However, we are not prepared to take this latter position because, to-date, most of our pedigrees were only two generations deep.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…The most frequently used molecular metrics of heterozygosity in HFCs analyses include standardized multilocus heterozygosity (stMLH; Coltman et al 1999), internal relatedness (IR; Amos et al 2001) and standardized mean d 2 (Coulson et al 1998). However, it has been suggested that the correlation between molecular heterozygosity and pedigree inbreeding coefficients is too weak to be of biological significance (Coltman and Slate 2003;Balloux et al 2004;Slate et al 2004;Hansson and Westerberg 2008). For wild canids, results vary even between studies of the same species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Inbreeding, heterozygosity and fitness in a reintroduced population of endangered African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus)

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

It is crucial to understand the genetic health and implications of inbreeding in wildlife populations, especially of vulnerable species. Using extensive demographic and genetic data, we investigated the relationships among pedigree inbreeding coefficients, metrics of molecular heterozygosity and fitness for a large population of endangered African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in South Africa. Molecular metrics based on 19 microsatellite loci were significantly, but modestly correlated to inbreeding coefficients in this population. Inbred wild dogs with inbreeding coefficients of C0.25 and subordinate individuals had shorter lifespans than outbred and dominant contemporaries, suggesting some deleterious effects of inbreeding. However, this trend was confounded by packspecific effects as many inbred individuals originated from a single large pack. Despite wild dogs being endangered and existing in small populations, findings within our sample population indicated that molecular metrics were not robust predictors in models of fitness based on breeding pack formation, dominance, reproductive success or lifespan of individuals. Nonetheless, our approach has generated a vital database for future comparative studies to examine these relationships over longer periods of time. Such detailed assessments are essential given knowledge that wild canids can be highly vulnerable to inbreeding effects over a few short generations.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inbreeding, heterozygosity and fitness in a reintroduced population of endangered African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus)

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As fullsiblings share their ancestry and inbreeding history, HFCs within full-sibling are commonly interpreted as evidence for local effects (Hansson et al 2001;Da Silva et al 2006;Fossøy et al 2009). However, it has recently been put forward that the existence of HFCs among full-siblings should be interpreted with care, as full-siblings will vary in the proportion of the genome, which is identical by descent due to chance events during Mendelian segregation (Forstmeier et al 2012; but see Hansson and Westerberg 2008). This variation may already be sufficient to cause HFCs even among full-siblings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heterozygosity–fitness correlations in blue tit nestlings (Cyanistis caeruleus) under contrasting rearing conditions

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding the relation between genetic variation and fitness remains a key question in evolutionary biology. Although heterozygosity has been reported to correlate with many fitness-related traits, the strength of the heterozygosity-fitness correlations (HFCs) is usually weak and it is still difficult to assess the generality of these associations in natural populations. It has been suggested that HFCs may become meaningful only under particular environmental conditions. Moreover, existing evidence suggests that HFCs may also differ between sexes. The aim of this study was to investigate correlations between heterozygosity in neutral markers (microsatellites) and fitness-related traits in a natural population of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). Additionally, we tested whether sex and environmental conditions may influence the magnitude and direction of HFCs. We found a positive relationship between heterozygosity and body mass of 14 days posthatching nestlings, but only among females. Our results suggest that the correlation between heterozygosity and nestling body mass observed among female offspring could be attributed to within-brood effects. We failed to find any evidence that environmental conditions as simulated by brood size manipulation affect HFCs.

show abstract

“…We addressed whether genetic variability may be mediating mortality by examining relationships between genetic variability and survival from exposure to CDV and FPV. Under an assumption that levels of neutral genetic variation are surrogates for measures of adaptive genetic variation owing to a subset of the target loci being linked to functional loci [25,26], we tested (i) whether genetic variability differed between animals that have not been exposed to CDV or FPV and those that have successfully seroconverted (i.e. survived infection), and (ii) whether these associations were best observed in the context of general heterozygosity, the extent of inbreeding, or the extent of outbreeding.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic variability and viral seroconversion in an outcrossing vertebrate population

2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Inverse correlations between genetic variability and parasitism are important concerns for conservation biologists. We examined correlations between neutral genetic variability and the presence of antibodies to canine distemper virus (CDV) and feline parvovirus (FPV) in a free-ranging population of raccoons. Over 3 years there was a strong relationship between age and seroprevalence rates. Most young animals were seronegative to CDV and FPV, but the oldest age class was greater than 80 per cent seropositive to both viruses. CDV-seropositive animals had greater heterozygosity and lower measures of inbreeding compared with CDV-seronegative animals. This relationship was strongest among the youngest animals and did not occur during a 1 year CDV epidemic. In contrast, FPV-seropositive animals only had significantly lower measures of inbreeding in 1 year, perhaps because FPV-associated mortality is relatively low or primarily occurs among very young individuals that were under-represented in our sampling. These results suggest that even in large outcrossing populations, animals with lower heterozygosity and higher measures of inbreeding are less likely to successfully mount an immune response when challenged by highly pathogenic parasites.

show abstract

Heterozygosity-fitness correlations within inbreeding classes: local or genome-wide effects?

Cited by 44 publications

References 66 publications

Inbreeding, heterozygosity and fitness in a reintroduced population of endangered African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus)

Inbreeding, heterozygosity and fitness in a reintroduced population of endangered African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus)

Heterozygosity–fitness correlations in blue tit nestlings (Cyanistis caeruleus) under contrasting rearing conditions

Genetic variability and viral seroconversion in an outcrossing vertebrate population

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About